About us

Here you will find links to mental health science related research, training and events at GOS ICH, UCL and beyond.

Who are we?: We are a unique interdisciplinary grouping of experts without parallel in the UK, dedicated to fostering research into child mental health and the application of that expertise to children with physical health problems. We bring together expertise in chronic illness, rare diseases, neurodevelopmental conditions and brain disorders.

What do we mean by mental health?: We use a very broad definition of “Mental Health”, which includes work related to understanding the brain and mind, and conditions such as dementia, depression and schizophrenia.

The ICH Paediatric Mental Health Sciences Centre aims to increase the visibility of and to raise awareness about mental health expertise within the ICH and GOSH by:

·Bringing researchers whose work touches on mental health issues together

·Sharing mental health funding opportunities

·Organising seminars on paediatric mental health science

·Facilitating a mental health research clinic for postdocs and research students (for networking, learning and problem solving).

Keep up to date on mental health events, resources and funding opportunities on our teams channel

Steering Committee

Chairs

Roz Shafran, David Skuse, Isobel Heyman & Jeanne Wolstencroft jointly lead the ICH GOS Mental Health Science Strategy and Centre.

Prof Roz Shafran

Roz Shafran is a Professor of Translational Psychology at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. She is an honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist, a member of the Health Professions Council and Fellow of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. Roz founded the Charlie Waller Institute of Evidenced Based Psychological Treatment in 2007 at the University of Reading and was its director until 2012. She is an advisor for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, Patron of 'No Panic' and recipient of prizes such as the BMJ Mental Health Team of the Year, Positive Practice 'Making a Difference' Award, British Psychological Society Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in Practice and Marsh Award for Mental Health for research that has made a difference to clinical practice. In addition to academic clinical research publications, Roz have co-authored and co-edited four self-help books, the most recent is 'How to Cope When Your Child Can't: Comfort, help and hope for parents

Find out more about Prof Roz Shafran

Prof David Skuse

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/child-health/about-us-0

David Skuse is Professor of Behavioural and Brain Sciences at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, and Honorary Consultant in Developmental Neuropsychiatry at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. He qualified in medicine at Manchester University, and subsequently trained in academic child psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and Maudsley Hospital, before moving to the Institute of Child Health in 1985 where he obtained his research degree. He devised the computerized 3di interview for Autism Spectrum Disorders, which is used by over 20 countries worldwide, many in translation. He has played a key role in the development of revised criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders in the 11th Revision of the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases. Currently, his research is identifying rare genetic risk factors that increase the risk of psychiatric disorders, especially autism, in children with intellectual disability. He has served on many editorial boards. Formerly Editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry; he now edits the British Journal of Psychiatry - International. He has been elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Find out more about Prof David Skuse

Isobel Heyman

Isobel Heyman (MBE) is an honorary consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Consultant Psychiatrist in the Psychological Medicine Team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Professor Heyman is also an Honorary Professor at the University College Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH).

She is employed by Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust as child psychiatry clinical lead for Cambridge Children’s Hospital development project – a new hospital programme which will for the first time fully integrate physical and mental health care – reducing stigma and ensuring equal care.

Jeanne Wolstencroft

Jeanne Wolstencroft is a Research Fellow and Teaching Associate based at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health at UCL. Her main research interests are understanding the impact of co-occurring mental health difficulties in children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or rare genetic disorders and digital approaches to psycho-social intervention for these children and young people.Jeanne is currently investigating changes in the mental health and behaviour of children with rare genetic disorders in the national IMAGINE ID study (Intellectual Disability and Mental Health: Assessing the Genomic Impact on Neurodevelopment). Jeanne is a co-investigator on the Children’s Autism Technology Assisted Assessments (CHATA) project which aims to digitise autism assessment procedures for families from diverse ethnic backgrounds. She has also received a Child Mental Health Research Strategic Grant to co-produce a digital mental health intervention for children with rare genetic disorders and irritability.

GOSH Representatives: Dr Garcia Rodriguez
FRCPsych is a consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry working at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Honorary lecturer at UCL. She leads the Social Communication Autism Spectrum Service (SCASS ) at GOSH and teaches at UCL MSc in child mental health and GOSH Learning Academy. She has previously worked in National Deaf Services , SWLSTG and Bromley CAMHS, OXLEAS NHS trusts .
She is very interested in medical education. She was an honorary senior lecturer for St Georges University of London, has taught in various MSCs at St George’s university of London and the Institute of Psychiatry (IOP). She has been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of doctors for 20 years including being the director of medical education at OXLEAS for 3 years. She was a member of NACT UK.
She is training program director for the North East London (previously know and GOSH Royal London) training scheme in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Co chair of the Paediatric Liaison Network, Royal College of Psychiatrists
Her research interests include : Deafness and mental health, Autism Spectrum Disorders , Systemic interventions and 22q11deletion syndrome.
Polly Livermore
Polly Livermore is the NIHR BRC Clinical Academic Program Lead for Nurses & AHP's at GOSH/ORCHID & Rheumatology Matron at Great Ormond Street Hospital.